Greg McElroy on Tennessee's SEC hopes in 2024: 'Who's to say they can't?'

It has been over 25 years since Tennessee partied like it was ’98 as conference and national champions. That celebration could start back up, at least in the league sense, though, in 2024 according to Greg McElroy.

McElroy looked at several conference title droughts during a recent episode of ‘Always College Football’. Of the 10 that he assessed, the Volunteers’ was one of the shorter ones even though it still hasn’t happened yet since the turn of the century.

“Tennessee has not won the SEC since 1998,” McElroy noted. “It has been a quarter century since the Tennessee Volunteers were named the SEC Champions.”

However, this season could very well end that on Rocky Top.

For one, McElroy noted their returners, namely James Pearce, from a defense that finished in the Top-25 after allowing just 20.3 ppg. last season. For two, he also highlighted their offensive pieces, specifically their receiver corps.

Still, to McElroy and others, the difference in all of it is QB Nico Iamaleava. If the redshirt sophomore makes good on any of the hype surrounding him, that could be what takes Tennessee back to that title-level team.

“Maybe this is the year. We’ve talked already about what they have defensively – we know they have an elite edge defender, we know they have a really good contingent of defensive linemen. We know they’re rock solid on offense with their weapons on the perimeter,” McElroy said. “But it’s the quarterback position – Nico Iamaleava. He’s the guy. If he’s as advertised, they could certainly elevate to the top of the Southeastern Conference.”

At the moment, Iamaleava remains more of a fascinating concept than a sure-fire fact yet. He does have the pedigree as a former five-star and top prospect and even flashed some of it in his five appearances as a freshman, specifically in his lone start in the Citrus Bowl. With that said, how he develops as the full-time starter now could very well determine the direction of the program for this season and beyond.

There are reasons that Tennessee hasn’t appeared in the conference title game, let alone won it, since 2007. The fact remains too that the standings are just as loaded as ever this year in the Southeastern Conference.

Even so, there’s nothing to say for McElroy that the Volunteers couldn’t sneak up, make it there, and win it, especially if Iamaleava is who we think him to be.

“Will it be easy? Absolutely not. It’s going to be insanely difficult. But, who’s to say they can’t?” McElroy thought.

“Now, remember last year and the year before that? Not a lot of people were talking about Tennessee. More people were talking about them last year than the year before. But, now, I feel like Tennessee is in a really good spot. Kind of flying under the radar a little bit with a lot of upside, in large part due to the talent they have at the quarterback position.”